The present invention relates to an improved stunt kite dihedral wing.
Dihedral wings have been employed for a long period of time and have both taken many forms and been adapted to various uses. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,235 discloses a dihedral kite wing and U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,763 discloses a dihedral model aircraft wing.
Related wing structures (although not dihedral in configuration) are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,793,870; 3,768,823; 3,924,870; 4,136,631; 4,186,680 and 4,473,022 which disclose various forms of hand-held sail structures designed for the propulsion of a person. Additionally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,784,524; 2,896,370; 2,932,124; 3,246,425; 3,943,657; 3,949,519; and 4,458,442 are each directed to various types of toy glider wings.
One disadvantage with respect to known prior art wings is the desire to enhance the lift characteristics of the wing without disadvantageously increasing the mass or weight of the wing. It has also not heretofore been possible to provide such increased lift by means of a camber portion at the leading edge of the wing without the necessity for prestressed structural members within the wing itself. For example, German Pat. No. 29 51 344 discloses the use of rigid, profiled, flexible spars at the ends of an ultralight glider wing to provide a curved contour along the full extent of the wing.
A further disadvantage regarding stunt kite wings relates to their maneuverability and attainable speed. Conventional stunt kite wings, while generally satisfactory in such respects, could with advantage possess enhanced flight characteristics to appeal to the skill level of advanced stunt kiters.
For example, various known stunt kites employ multiple lateral spar members to enhance the structural stability of the supporting structure of the kite in view of the large span of the kite wing. Such lateral spars are relatively inflexible in design and directly connect one lateral brace member of the wing to an opposing lateral brace member without intermediate attachment to the longitudinal brace member. Such spars are thus generally unbowed by nature. The noted spar members are oriented at an angle perpendicular to the axis of the longitudinal brace member.
In an alternate configuration, a known stunt kite employs two connecting spars which connect the opposing lateral brace members and which are also attached to the longitudinal brace member. In this particular kite the lateral spars are bowed to conform to the configuration of the sail and the spars are also oriented at an angle perpendicular to the axis of the longitudinal brace member.
Such known stunt kites suffer from the disadvantage that movement of the lateral brace members during flight is inhibited by the presence of the lateral brace members. Such kites are thus not readily adapted to varied flight conditions.